Polaroid 665 storage

[jeff4]

Greetings all,
I am new to APUG and this is my first post. I am wondering what the best way to store Polaroid 665 p/n film might be? I have only recently learned that 665 is soon to be discontinued (very disappointing news), and am curious if anyone has had luck using it after being stored. How long? What method? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks very much,
Jeff

 

[Wayne]

Your only option is probably refrigeration. You cant freeze it. I would expect it to last for some time beyond the expiration date but I dont know how long. One year? Two? Maybe 5 at most? I dunno. I wouldnt lay in a lifetimes supply of it though. Move up to 4x5 and you can still shoot the same emulsion, albeit 3x more expensive...

 

[BrianShaw]

Move on up to T55 now, while you can!

I've had lousy results with outdated Polaroid. I've used "6 month old" and had flaky results; I've used "1 year old" and had consistently terrible results. The chemical package seems to dry up and causes incomplete coating. Even when the chems coated (sort of) completely, the processing was all wrong.. speed obviously off, colors didn't migrate properly, etc. I wouldn't have any confidence in outdated Polaroid for any serious use.

 

[Wayne]

was the outdated film refrigerated? I would expect color to be somewhat worse than B&W.

 

[BrianShaw]

Yes, it was refrigerated. I had the same experience with both color and B&W. I don't know what the difference is between the chemical goop in each, but it seems similar. Most of the chemistry seemed 'dried up' more than anything else.

 

[Wayne]

I called Polaroid today and asked them this question. I didnt get the most experienced person, but the reply was essentially "who knows" how long it will last. The expiration datea are given for room temp storage, so refrigeration should extend it somewhat but how long is anybody's guess. Sometimes it will go bad even before the expiration date. My suggestion for Jeff would be to call Polaroid (1-800 Polaroid) Monday and ask for Sue in tech support. She seems to be the most experienced person there and can probably answer it as well as anybody, though it may still be "who knows".

 

[Donald Qualls]

One other important point in storing Polaroid films: store them flat or on end, not on edge. Storage on edge can result in the developing gel migrating to one side of the pod, leading to partial development (followed closely by unfortunate phenomena such as flying cameras, screaming photographers, and unscheduled appearances on "Cops").